


Family Lies

by MiniNephthys



Category: LiEat (Video Games)
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, Fluff, Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 14:01:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15074696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: Efina asks an important question about her and Theo's family tree.





	Family Lies

“Hey, Papa?” Efina asks. They’re on their way to yet another city to do yet another job, and Efina’s never quiet as they travel.

“Mm?” Whatever Theo thinks about being called ‘papa’, it’s undeniable that she’s addressing him. “What do you want?”

“Remember when we met the butterfly lady? And she called you her brother?”

He snorts. “As if I could forget something like that.”

Efina’s eyes are wide. “Does that mean she’s my aunt?”

If Theo were a different kind of person without as much skill at masking his reactions, he’d choke on air at hearing that question. As it is, his reply still comes out a bit weak. “She still hates me, so I don’t think she’d be too happy if you called her that.”

“Hmm…” Efina looks deep in thought for a moment before brightening up. “Those guys in the helicopters were your brothers, right? Do they hate you too?”

“Enos and Gene don’t exactly hate me, but-”

“So they’re my uncles, right? Right?”

Under the pressure of a hopeful and excited Efi, Theo can do nothing but give in and hope Enos and Gene never find out about this. “Sure. They can be your uncles.”

“Hooray~”

Odds are low that Theo and Efi will run into them anytime soon.

* * *

They run into them immediately.

Finding a place to stay is always first priority when on a job, and the inn isn’t hard to find. They step inside, and Theo’s gaze is immediately drawn to the customers finishing up at the desk: Gene and Enos.

Enos isn’t the one handling the money or talking to employees, and Theo knows that he finds other things to focus on, like other customers entering. Enos’ eyes go wide and he elbows Gene in the side.

“Enos, what-” Now Gene catches a look at Theo and Efina. Theo might not be recognizable just from looks, but Efina certainly is, especially if-

“So you’re Uncle Enos!” Efina bounds up to the two of them. “And you’re, umm… Uncle Gene!”

After a moment of stunned silence from both Gene and Enos, Gene laughs. “’Uncle’ Gene, huh? Kind of has a nice ring to it.”

“I’m too young to be an uncle, I won’t be any good as a role model… confusion, embarrassment, shame,” Enos mumbles, his face bright red.

Theo truly, honest to God, desperately wishes the ground would swallow him up right now, so strongly that he wouldn’t be too surprised if an egg popped up right in the inn’s lobby. He pulls Efina back by her collar, ignoring her protests. “I’m sorry, she just decided that on her own, we’re not even blood related-”

“You’re still my papa!” Efina huffs. “Is Aunt Cyril here too?”

Gene and Enos look at each other.

“We need to talk about this privately in our room, give us one sec,” Gene says, tugging on Enos’ arm. It’s clearly a ‘yes’, but Theo lets them go to get their privacy and talk things out.

Not before taking note of the number on the tag hanging off the key: some things he can’t help, even with former family.

While they’re waiting, Theo gets them their own room and definitely does not acknowledge what just happened. It turns out to be not that difficult once the employee starts cooing over how cute his ‘daughter’ is. Efina proudly lists her height and how she grew a whole inch just this month.

One of Efina’s best skills is taking attention off of Theo. Usually it’s for work and not because he feels like dying of embarrassment.

Once they have their room key, Theo says, “Efi, we’re going to our room now.”

“How will they find us if we’re not in the lobby?” Efi asks, turning her attention away from the cookies for sale behind the counter.

“They’ll find us.” Theo has no doubt of that, even if he would really prefer not to run into them again. “Come on.”

* * *

If Efina’s not with Theo, then whatever she says won’t embarrass him until later.

On the other hand, if Efina’s not with Theo, he has no idea what she might be saying and to who. Keeping her with him wins. She can’t eat the hotel’s complementary breakfast (of course he’ll gladly take the free food), but-

“Aunt Cyril!”

-she’s found something else to entertain herself with.

Cyril, who has no stops in between ‘wearing a disguise’ and ‘painfully honest’, looks like she has no idea how to react to being addressed like this in the middle of breakfast. “Erm… are you sure…?”

“You’re Papa’s sister, so you’re my aunt, that’s how stuff works,” Efina says, like it’s ridiculous she has to explain this basic concept to an adult. Theo grabs a bagel and doesn’t make eye contact with anyone.

When Cyril hesitates, Gene speaks up. “She has a point there. We do still have the same last name as back then, so his kid would be a part of the family.”

Efina whirls around to look at Theo over by the baked goods. “Papa, do I get to use your last name too? Efina Le-”

“Only in private.” He does still change his identity everywhere he goes, last name included.

“…Good enough!” Efina turns back to Cyril. “I’ve never had an aunt before! Or a mom. Can you tell me how girls’ makeup works? Papa says he doesn’t know anything, but it looks so pretty...”

He doesn’t know anything about makeup that’s for fashion and not a disguise, Theo mentally corrects, but naturally he’s not going to say any of that out loud.

Cyril looks to Gene on one side of her, who nods and nudges her in the shoulder. Then Enos on the other, who gives her a hesitant smile before looking back down at his scrambled eggs.

She clears her throat. “…Well, even if he wanted to teach you something like that he’d mess it up, so I have to be the one to stand in for him. Hmmph, acting like he was the only capable one, and now he’s the one relying on me!”

“Thanks,” Theo says, finally turning towards her.

“I’m not doing it for you!” But the honest thanks is enough to take some of the wind out of her sails. “I have some makeup in my room you can use, but he can’t come inside.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Efina says. “Papa lets me go out on my own all the time!”

Cyril’s scornful stare is one thing, but Gene gives Theo a Look and even Enos lifts his head with a suddenly concerned expression. Three judging siblings are almost as powerful as one dragon daughter.


End file.
